He Knows

Dear Old Friend,

The past couple of weeks have been crazy! Last time, I wrote you that we had to put our precious dog, Quiz, to sleep.  Then, my poor husband got a bad stomach virus on New Year’s Eve, so on New Year’s Day I went to the store to get him some Gatorade to replenish his electrolytes and while I was in the store, for under ten minutes, someone hit my car and left!  I didn’t report it to my insurance immediately; I was in a hurry to get to work, and then I procrastinated.

As it turned out, it was a moot point, because yesterday, on my way to work, while I was stopped at a light, a lady, who was doing who knows what, slammed into the back of my car without ever putting on her brakes! She was going pretty fast and the impact was strong enough to push my car into the car in front of me and then push his car into the one in front of him! My engine caught fire and the lady’s car was basically imbedded in my trunk all the way to the back seat!

My ribs hurt, and my right thumb is bruised, both of those due to the seatbelt and airbag, but it could have been so much worse!

The thing is, I actually hesitated to mention these things, because, for some reason, everyone I know has so many terrible things going on in their lives that mine pale in comparison! A friend’s child may have cancer, and she is awaiting the results. Another friend has been having seizures and every attempt to control them has failed. Another friend just lost his job because it involved driving and he got a speeding ticket.  Then, right after he was fired, his wife, who was on his insurance, had a heart attack.  I am also friends with his boss, whom I called, with the intent of making him feel guilty, and found out that he and his wife had just taken custody of their daughter’s 18 month old child, because of their daughter’s drug problems.  Another friend just checked into rehab for a drinking problem.  Another just lost his father.  I could go on and on.

I can’t remember a time when I was aware of so many people with so many serious issues! And then, of course, there is the state of our world in general!  There’s not much good news out there.  All of this has made me stop and ponder how, or even if, the Good News of the Gospel has anything relevant to say to all of this suffering.

Immediately, the first words of Isaiah 53:4 came to my mind: “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.”  I find so much comfort in the knowledge that, when Jesus was on the cross, he wasn’t just bearing my sins, he was also bearing all of the results of sin on his shoulders.  

He took every grief that every human has ever experienced and every sorrow over which anyone has ever wept and carried it to the cross.  This obviously does not mean that we will not suffer, but it does mean that he is with us in and through it all, in a way we can’t even begin to fathom. He knows each of our sorrows personally, because he already bore each one.  

We have a savior who understands, from the inside out, each trial that we face, no matter how big or small; and, he understands far better than even our dearest friends or family ever could, because he experienced each one himself. No one else can say that!

I am so thankful that I have been blessed to know this Good News, which touches every corner of my life! I wish from the bottom of my heart that every suffering human could have this same assurance to hold onto!

Love Always,

Bonnie